The Project to Create Research and Educational Hubs for Innovative Manufacturing in Asia supported by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Japan (MEXT) has been operated since fiscal year 2013 by the Joining and Welding Research Institute (JWRI) in cooperation with the Graduate School of Language and Culture targeting Globalizing Asia ̶ the region encompassing Far East Russia, Southeast Asia, India, and West Asia ̶. Principal purposes of the project are to establish a new key technologies for joining targeting Globalizing Asia, to establish a global network of joining science, and to cultivate global leaders with practical-mind. JWRI has been operating the project by establishing "Committee for Project to Create Research and Educational Hubs for Innovative Manufacturing in Asia" in order to achieve a smooth operation.
Globalizing Asia has grown to assume global importance as a center for worldwide manufacturers of transportation equipment, electronic components and so on. While the region is also gathering attention as a home to abundant resources that include oil, natural gas, and shale gas as well as rare metals, joining and welding technologies applied to facilities and maintenance for refi nement, production and carriage are essential.
However, in promoting advanced manufacturing, these areas are facing specifi c regional problems attributed to the diverse climate and culture. The need to manufacture the appropriate products in optimal locations while solving the above problems and on a timely basis has become a pressing issue. To address these issues, the Project to Create Research and Educational Hubs for Innovative Manufacturing in Asia has been working on activities listed below.
Among 3 principle activities, JWRI is strongly committed to implement activity 1 and 2, especially. To address extreme environments in Globalizing Asia transcending limits of application with conventional joining and welding technologies, JWRI is focusing on Under Water Laser Processing Technology as one of the new key technologies impervious to any environmental change.